Basic Ecclesial Communities An Expression of a Renewed Church in the Philippines - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Basic Ecclesial Communities An Expression of a Renewed Church in the Philippines. Rev. Amado L. Picardal, CSsR, STD. The PCP II Vision of a Renewed Church and the Ecclesiology of Basic Ecclesial Communities

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“Our vision of the Church as communion, participation and mission, about the Church as priestly, prophetic, & kingly people, and as a Church of the Poor- a church that is renewed - is today finding expression in one ecclesial movement. This is the movement to foster Basic Ecclesial Communities.” par 137

The Church is called to be attentive to the situation of poverty, injustice, armed conflict, human rights violation, ecological degradation,

PCP II calls for a renewed social apostolate and for the Church to actively participate in the work for justice, peace, development & integrity of creation. The church is to be involved in social transformation.

The BECs enable the poor to embrace evangelical poverty and to actively participate in the Church’s prophetic, priestly and pastoral mission

The poor are not only evangelized, they also become evangelizers

The poor are not just passive recipients of aid, they are active participants in the process of social transformation. The poor are empowered to struggle for peace, justice, development, liberation and the integrity of creation

There were BECs that became involved in militant activities – such as protest marches and rallies against various issues (military abuses, human rights violations, U.S. bases, dam project, land reform, etc.).

All these led to the suspicion that the BECs were being used by groups struggling against the Marcos regime.

In a master’s thesis on “Contemporary Religious Radicalism in the Philippines” which he submitted to the National Defence College in the 1979, Colonel Galileo Kintanar wrote that the religious radicals were building up the BECs as “an infrastructure of political power” that could pose as a threat to national security.

Many of the development projects such as cooperatives, communal farms & community based health projects were suppressed on the suspicion that these were being used to support the revolutionary movement.

There were chapels that were closed and the people were forbidden to gather for prayer and bible-service.

Leaders and members of BECs were arrested and some were killed. Those who died were regarded as BEC martyrs.

They are communities, not organizations, prayer groups, societies or associations. They are not specialized groups but stable environment. The members often live in close proximity and interact with each other regularly.

They are small communities of Christian, usually of families who gather around the Word of God & the Eucharist.

These communities are united to their pastors but are ministered to regularly by lay leaders. The members know each other by name & share not only the Word of God & the Eucharist but also their concerns both material & spiritual

They have a strong sense of belongingness & responsibility for one another (par 138)

Holistic/Transformative BECs. BECs with social action component integrated with its evangelizing/worshipping activities. These are the fully developed BECs that work for progress, peace, justice & social transformation. (IGP, livelihood programs, peace zones, etc)

There is parallel but uneven development of BECs – in some places they are already established & are part of the structure of the local church, while others are just starting. There are still many places where there are no BECs yet.

The formation of BECs is part of the ongoing efforts to renew the Church since Vatican II. It is a new way of being Church.